​You might know someone who says they believe in God but they live as if God does not exist. 7 out of 10 Americans say they believe in Jesus but many of them don’t live like they are followers of Jesus.If I say I am a follower of the Green Bay Packers than I do things that a fan of the Green Bay Packers does.

​ I watch the games. I read about the team. I watch news reports about the team. I go to a few games every year. I talk to other people about the Packers. I wear Green Bay packer stuff.If a person says they are a Christian then their life should show that they are a follower of Jesus Christ. They should go to worship. They should read the Bible. They should spend time in prayer. They should share their faith with others. A Christian should serve others and God.A person who says they believe in God but doesn’t live to honor Him might be called a Cultural Christian or a Christian Atheists. Titus 1:16 says “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”When we claim to know God our actions need to follow that claim. Do you say you are a Christian? Does your life show that you are a Christian? 1 John 2:3-4 says “We know that we have come to know Him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”When we know God deeply we want to spend time with Him because there is no one as loving, forgiving and as powerful as Him.If you are married and are in love with your spouse then you want to spend time with him or her. You enjoy doing things together. You enjoy spending time with each other. You like to do some of the same things. You get each other gifts. You miss each other if you are apart for an extended period of time.The same should be true with your relationship with God. If you really know Him and love Him and have a relationship with Him then you want to spend time with Him, you want to serve Him, you want to hear from Him through worship and prayer and time in His Word.It is my prayer that everyone, everyone in the world, would not just know the true God in Jesus Christ but following Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.If you or someone you know, knows God but aren’t really following Him, I encourage you to:

Go to Worship weekly

Pray to God daily

Spend time reading God’s Word, the Bible

If you do, at least, these three things, your relationship with God will start moving deeper towards living for and demonstrating your relationships with the one true God, Jesus Christ.

Is it really possible to be married and happy? Yes, I believe it really is. Schawn and I do not have a perfect marriage, but we have a very good marriage for a few reasons. Mostly, Schawn is amazing. She is loving. She is forgiving. She is very patient. She is a godly woman. She doesn’t nag. She doesn’t leave me TO DO LISTS. It helps to be married to a saint.

We also have a good marriage because we both do a lot of forgiving. We DO NOT hold grudges. We forgive and forget. We both have hurt each other. We both have said things we regret. We both have been selfish with wanting our way. But when those times happen we seek to come back to each other and say, “I’m sorry.” It’s such a powerful statement. It shows that we are putting our relationship back as the higher priority than our own wishes or desires.

I recently got very upset with Schawn. I wanted to make a large purchase. I had it in my head, probably before I even spoke with Schawn about it, that she would not want me to make this purchase. Every time we tried to talk about it, it would get heated. Schawn finally said, “I will not talk to you about this until you can talk to me calmly.” I did not like hearing that at all but that is exactly what needed to be said. When I finally was able to talk with Schawn calmly it was not at all that she did not want me to make the purchase. She just needed more information about where the money was coming from and how a few other financial things would play out as a result. I said “I’m sorry” and it all worked out. When we were able to calmly communicate with love and respect then things went much better. It’s amazing what happens when we approach our spouse calmly.​Ephesians 5:33 says “Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Showing love and respect is critical. Research reveals that during marital conflict a husband most often reacts when feeling disrespected and a wife reacts when feeling unloved. Research found that when they asked 7,000 people this question: “When you are in a conflict with your spouse, do you feel unloved or disrespected?” 83% of the men said “disrespected.” 72% of the women said “unloved.” Though we all need love and respect equally, the felt need differs during conflict, and this difference is as different as pink is from blue!

Showing love and respect to each other can be a secret key that unlocks a beautiful marriage.If you want to grow more together check out the series LOVE AND RESPECT: Getting Off the Crazy Cycle. It is on Right Now Media. IT’S FREE. Watch it together.

Here’s more about it:We know that divorce is a major issue in our culture today, both inside and outside the church. Despite our best attempts at love, couples find themselves paralyzed by dysfunction and mired in conflict. Why do we face so many seemingly insurmountable problems today? Is there hope for the struggle? What are we missing? In this 4-part series, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs sheds light on an often overlooked, yet indispensable element of a healthy marriage—respect. Combining biblical instruction with scientific expertise, Emerson provides insight into the unique ways in which God has designed both men and women and how they can rightly embrace their differences in marriage. As couples come to see the heart behind their partner's complaints, they will better understand the place for both love and respect between husband and wife. Rather than becoming another statistic, struggling marriages can break their Crazy Cycle and become thriving marriages by living in accordance to God's good design. https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/225912#Trailer

I pray that you will have a HAPPY marriage. May we seek the Lord as we grow together.Pastor Chad Starfeldt